: : Good question. Lions, cheetahs, leopards, wolves - all survive in Africa
: : and they *don't* dedicate themselves to wiping each other out.

: Basic demographic theory would tell us that when two species compete,
: either an increased population of species 1 inhibits itself more than
: it inhibits species 2 (because of the competition), or it inhibits
: further growth of its own population more than it inhibits growth of
: the competing population (because of the carrying capacity of the
: environment).

: Two competing species can only co-exist if they both inhibit their own
: population as they grow more than they inhibit their competitor.
: This is obviously what's happening in coexisting carnivore population.

: So I theorize without evidence other than extinction of all other hominid
: (hominoid?) species that homo sapiens can outcompete other hom* species
: to the extent that an increased number of homo sapiens inhibits the
: population of competitors more than it inhibits the population of homo
: sapiens.